Results for Pacific Islands

Cold and hungry, after a day-long ordeal, some 50 Tongan orchard workers, who were stranded on their bungalow rooftops by rising floodwaters near Hastings, New Zealand, were rescued by the New Zealand Defence Force yesterday evening.

Twenty-two houses are now standing at Masilamea (Atata Si’i) in the new settlement built for the displaced families of Atata. It’s been a year, two weeks and one day since the catastrophic tsunami destroyed their island village life on of January 15 2022. However, more than five houses are yet to have electricity and/or water supplies connected.

On Australia Day we reflect on our nation’s history and celebrate its achievements and all its people, including the 33,000 Australians that identify as having Tongan ancestry. Australia’s identity is complex; in addition to our first nations heritage and our British and European history, laws and systems of government, we are a country of people from more than 270 ancestries. - Statement from the Australian High Commission in Tonga.

Carmel Jean Sepuloni (46), an MP of Tongan descent, is New Zealand's new deputy prime minister designate. She stands alongside the new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins who will be officially sworn in on Wednesday.

Tonga Police arrested a 33-year-old man from Tatakamotonga on Tuesday, 10 January 2023, for possession and supply of illicit drugs, after intercepting the suspect on a public road between Holonga and Pelehake.

Tonga’s first National University will open on 27 January, the Prime Minister Hon. Siaosi Sovaleni announced yesterday, January 11. Tonga needs to urgently increase its training opportunities to replace many skilled Tongans who have left to work overseas, the first press conference for 2023 at St George Building, was told.

Father of two, Lionati Fotofili (44) went missing while fishing at the Ōpihi River mouth in New Zealand last week. Tongan-born Lionati was the pastor of Timaru’s Church of Tonga.

Twenty four Pasifika in New Zealand have been recognised in the country's New Year's honours, among 183 recipients named yesterday. They are drawn from the arts and media, business, health, education, sport, voluntary work, science and technology. A Tongan, Sefita Hao’uli, was named as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to Tongan and Pacific communities.

Hon. Sitiveni Rabuka (74), was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Fiji this afternoon, after narrowly winning a secret ballot in parliament, getting 28 votes to the incumbent Frank Bainimarama's 27.